The world premiere of Avatar: Fire and Ash took place in Los Angeles last night, and the first reactions to director James Cameron’s highly anticipated third installment in the multi-billion-dollar box office franchise have now emerged. Cameron was joined at the event by stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, and Sigourney Weaver, with Avatar: Fire and Ash due to land in theaters on December 19.
Without further ado, we turn to the early reactions, and it sounds like Cameron has delivered another action sci-fi epic, the likes of which we’ve never seen before. Outside the Avatar franchise, of course. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff calls Avatar: Fire and Ash “magical,” and praised the follow-up for increasing in “complexity.”
Three films in and I still can’t get over how magical the #Avatar movies are. Wish I had more original phrasing, but this applies too well — #AvatarFireAndAsh truly feels like a ride. I couldn’t believe how quickly I was pulled back into the world of Pandora and swept up in the situation. And once that happens, there’s a noticeable increase in complexity in quite a few aspects of the production.
Bill Bria, meanwhile, took to X/Twitter to declare Avatar: Fire and Ash a “knockout” and “the best one yet,” adding, “An epic that delivers on an enormous scale, with the characters & worldbuilding paying off surprising dividends. It’s a delight to see a film be this big while still being a narratively & visually bold work of science-fiction.” Similarly, Matt Neglia revealed the sequel “delivers the most emotional moments of the franchise and is, by far, the most epic in both scope and runtime,” but did add that it “mines the least amount of new material from covering so much ground.”
Still, the breathtaking visual effects, world-building, and evolving lore of Pandora continue to astound. When James Cameron is cooking, he’s cooking with tremendous, scorching hot fire! Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña deliver their best work yet as Jake and Neytiri, and Oona Chaplin brings the heat as a fantastic addition to the cast. While “The Way of Water” felt like a giant leap forward from the original, this installment plays more like a direct continuation, offering mostly satisfying payoffs alongside a few questionable choices that I’ll reserve judgment on until I see how they unfold within the larger narrative. Beautiful? Yes. Thrilling? Yes. A little frustrating? Sure. But it’s still above most other blockbusters out there.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ Hailed as the Best Movie in the Franchise So Far
While Avatar: Fire and Ash does face some criticism in these early reactions, with Scott Mendelson saying “There’s too much “been there done that” in terms of plot beats and set pieces,” the third outing is nevertheless another “awe-inspiring technical and visceral achievement. It doesn’t skimp on the melodrama or intensity, as James Cameron delivers a towering spectacle of such all-in splendor that it plays like it’s the last movie that’s ever going to get made. Yeah, this third #Avatar rocks.”
@codymonster91 advises that we “Never doubt James Cameron,” hailing Avatar: Fire and Ash as “another sprawling, ambitious, gorgeous adventure,” and calling Oona Chaplin’s villain “the best new element.” Drew Taylor, meanwhile, says the sequel left him “awestruck,” and is “Stranger, scarier and more spiritual” than Avatar: The Way of Water. Finally, Shaurya Chawla again declares Avatar: Fire and Ash the best movie in the franchise so far, concluding…
AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH: an emotionally powerful, terrifically directed and visually incredible movie, with some of the most compelling storytelling and action of the series yet, building on the characters–old and new–and the world in fascinating ways. Loved it. #AvatarFireAndAsh
- Release Date
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December 19, 2025
- Runtime
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195 Minutes
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